Cries of the Earth
by Thunderxtw
Summary: When you’re knee-deep in grief, who can you turn to for support? Short Julia one-shot.


**_Cries of the Earth_**

It had taken all her strength and then some to keep this up, but not even that was enough.

'_Be tough, Julia. Don't let it get to you.'_

Julia had tried to hold it all in, but the emotions came gushing out. The Navajo were a proud and strong tribe, and here she was, a Navajo--weeping like a child.

The air was dry, the land in front of her barren and empty from her failure to save it months ago. It was once a place her people used to gather to have their powwows, drink water from the crystal lakes, and lose themselves in tales shared around the flickering bonfire from many years ago; this was where Michelle showed her how to shoot her first arrow and construct her own bow.

Home was what she used to call this territory, now a land deprived of its hogans and riches. Like the curse of the _chindi_, the encroaching desert had swept this land and killed it.

Nothing laid here but a massive field of dirt and sand, baked from the heat of the overbearing sun; not a sliver of grass or tree root was in sight. No Navajo civilization could survive here. As that sunk in, Julia knew it was only a matter of time before the whites drew up plans to build their heavy polluting, coal-firing power plants on this once beautiful landscape.

Maybe Native American land only existed to have itself destroyed and claimed by the white men. They owned and ruled everything enough as it was. To Julia, there was no benefit in Ahsonnutlicreating the earth and sky if people refused to appreciate them.

Whenever Mother Earth suffered, the pain between her and Julia was mutual; a polluted river or a smoky sky was like a hammered nail going straight into Julia's heart, and when Mother Earth cried, they cried together. It was different than shedding tears at what her peers in high school used to say, because names never hurt as much. They'd call Julia names like "tree-hugger" and stated she should go back to her "tepee in the woods," but there was more to her they didn't see; she'd read books and paint portraits of her emotions that were too complex for the simple-minded to understand. Every day, as she sat at the canvas, there was a different feeling, a different stroke of the brush that would paint what her mouth couldn't form into words. It was typical for someone to look at her paintings and see them as just that: paintings. However, to Julia, these were pieces of her soul, elements of her own experience channeled into real feelings and thoughts. The world remained blind to this, but it didn't matter to her, as long as she could see.

Right now, Julia longed to settle under the canopy and watch a leaf flutter its way into her lap. Even though this area was no longer livable, it was the only little shard of her life she had left, her escape from reality.

On her knees, Julia sobbed with palms pressed against her face. Aside from losing her homeland and having to bear with its destruction, she couldn't take this anymore: her boyfriend standing her up again. His apologies from the other day, though soft and sincere, weren't enough to make up for all the countless nights he abandoned her; frustration mounted when he backed out of their dates with little explanation, leaving her to wander the parks and movie theaters alone. He didn't understand how much pain he had brought on her, and she figured the less she saw of him, the better. While the flattering text messages, gifts, and letters were all sweet, it wasn't enough for Julia. She believed him when he said he'd never hurt her, but today she found herself questioning the truth to that statement.

In her pocket, her cell phone rumbled from his fourth call, but she refrained to answer it. He was so persistent.

'_No more. Please, just leave me alone.'_

With her boyfriend erased from her life, Julia had no one to turn to. Not even the spirits she spoke to in her prayers could mend the wound she had in her heart. She couldn't go to Michelle for guidance or comfort; she was gone, and as much as she tried to hang onto the false hope she was alive, Julia had herself convinced her mother was dead and never coming back. Michelle had a knack for sensing trouble within her daughter, whether they were together or miles apart. She always turned up at the right moments, but now, in a time where Julia needed her love and influence most, her absence certified everything.

Like the soles of her moccasins, the truth was hard, and Julia's tears flowed harder at this realization—until she heard a voice other than her own that caused her to start.

"We thought you'd be up here. Julia, what's wrong?"

Julia sniffed and looked over her shoulder. Appearing by her side were her friends: Christie Monteiro and Anna Williams.

"E-everything…" Julia's voice quivered. "M-my boyfriend c-can't…e-ever make t-time for me. I h-have no one, Chris. No one a-at all."

Christie knelt down next to her, frowning. "Girl, listen at you. You can hardly talk." She reached over and patted Julia's back. "This isn't like you. And where do you get off saying you don't have anyone?"

"I…I don't."

"That's where you're wrong, sweetie. You never came to us," Anna said, standing over them with arms crossed over her chest.

Christie nodded in agreement. "That's right. Julia, you my girl, practically my sis. We're your friends. You'll always have us no matter what, and we'll always be there to help you get through things like this. That's what we're for."

Anna laid her hand on Julia's shoulder. "We've all been alone in some way, honey. Better to be alone with friends than to be alone without."

"Our relationships may never go the way we want them, remember? You used to say that to me all the time when we first met in high school when I cried over my guy problems, and now I'm saying it to you, Jules." Christie's fingers locked with Julia's and she helped pull her up to her feet. "There's still us. Remember that."

"I didn't have much faith in myself until I met you. That day in the mall, you, a complete stranger, approached me when I was upset at my sister, and told me that my anger was like a poison and it'd kill me if I continued to dwell on the past. That really grabbed me, and because of you, I look at life a whole lot differently now." Anna brought Julia into a tight hug and cupped the Navajo's chin up with her hand, looking her in the eyes. "No more crying, 'kay?"

Julia wiped her face dry with her sleeve, managing a small smile. Over the horizon, the sun smiled too as the tension began to dissipate. Somewhere, she knew Michelle smiled as well. Her body feeling less tense, Julia allowed the two women to lead her back to her other home. They weren't just people who cared; they were her friends who'd help her through any predicament.

Julia's only regret was she wished she could have seen it sooner.

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**Author's Note:** This story's long overdue and it's been on my mind since May. Took me a week and a half to put together with all the time I had. Yeah, I know what you're probably thinking: why Julia, Thunder? It's a tribute I wrote for a certain someone. They know who they are. I'm sure when they read it, they'll understand the meaning behind it. I'll try to get back into writing and reviewing, but I can't promise anything with the way things are going. Later.

Glossary 

**Chindi** – In Navajo mythology, a chindi is the ghost left behind when a person dies, usually considered to be evil and looking to avenge some form of offense to the person. When cursed by the chindi, the victim becomes ill and/or eventually dies.

**Ahsonnutli** - Ahsonnutli was the sky father and chief deity of the Navajo Indians. He created the earth and the sky.

**Hogan**: The primary traditional home of the Navajo people.


End file.
